Crime Victims Assistance Program (CVAP)
What is CVAP?
The Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) is a BC Government program that provides funding to victims of violent crimes to help in their recovery and healing.
CVAP can provide recovery support to crime victims, their immediate family members and witnesses of violent crime.
CVAP sessions
I am a registered CVAP counsellor, with training with in trauma-informed care and specialized support for first responders (such as ambulance attendants, firefighters and medical staff).
If you have experienced or witnessed a violent crime in the past year, you may be eligible for free counselling.
Please email me at Jessica @CraneCounselling.net to discuss your case and eligibility.
How many counselling sessions could I receive?
Most CVAP applicants are eligible for x24 to x48 counselling sessions (the approx. equivalent of weekly or bi-weekly counselling sessions for a year).
Immediate family members of the victim may be approved for up to x24 sessions.
Witnesses of violent crime may be approved for up to x18 sessions.
Do I need to report the crime to the police to apply for CVAP?
No, a police report or file number is not needed to apply for CVAP. The CVAP program case worker may need to ask you for additional information if they don’t have access to a police report, but a police report is not mandatory.
Applicants need not be BC residents, but the crime must have happened in BC in the past year.
Am I eligible?
Victims of crime can also include immediate family members of a deceased or injured victim, and/or witnesses to the crime.
Generally, applications are accepted up to one year from the date of the crime. However, victims of sexual assault and children who have experienced/witnessed abuse do not have a timeline for applying, and exceptions can be made under special circumstances.
If the trauma/abuse was more than one year ago and you have questions about applying, please call the CVAP program directly at 1-866-660-3888
Apply and learn more at CVAP.gov.bc.ca
CVPA email: cvap@gov.bc.ca
Call CVPA free: 1-866-660-3888
